Lady
Pirates win District openerThe Prairie Lady Pirates had little trouble winning their long-delayed
District Tournament opener as they defeated Kendrick 14-4 Thursday, May
12 at Cottonwood.
The game was originally scheduled for Saturday, May 7 but rain pushed
the whole tournament back several days.The win put Prairie into the championship game on Saturday, May 14.
Prairie took the lead in the first inning without benefit of a hit.
Ashley Schaeffer was hit by the second pitch she saw and went to second
on a wild pitch. After two were put out, Natalie Arnzen was hit by a pitch
and then Kylie Uhlorn’s fly ball to right center was dropped by the centerfielder
for a 2-base error with Schaeffer scoring. Arnzen might have scored on
the play as well but stopped halfway to home and then had to scramble to
get back to third. A strikeout then ended the inning.
Prairie took control in the second with 5 runs on just 2 hits.
Kim Schaeffer walked leading off the inning and Lindsey Crea, in her
first action back with the team after an illness, hit the first pitch she
saw into left for the first hit of the game.
Brooke Holthaus then laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached when the
pitcher fielded the ball but couldn’t make a decision where to throw the
ball. That loaded the bases.
Ashley Schaeffer then drew a walk to force home a run and Tiffany Schaeffer
pounded a line drive to left that the fielder couldn’t quite reach for
a 2-run double. Holthaus also scored on the play when the catcher dropped
the throw.
After an out, Arnzen drove in Ashley Schaeffer with a groundout to
short. Kylie Uhlorn then walked and she and Tiffany Schaeffer pulled off
a delayed double steal with Tiffany scoring to make it 6-0.
Kendrick got on the board in the third inning thanks to a hit batter,
stolen base and two wild pitches.
Prairie answered in the bottom of the third with a pair of runs. Brooke
Holthaus singled up the middle with 1 out, stole second and went to third
on a wild pitch. Ashley Schaeffer then walked and stole second.
After
the second out was made, Meghan VanderPas singled down the left field line
to score both runners. She made it to second when the left fielder bobbled
the ball then went to third on a wild pitch. She tried to score on another
wild pitch but was called out at the plate.
Kendrick plated another run in the fourth on a walk and a double. The
double was Kendrick’s first hit of the game.
Prairie answered back with 4 more runs to take a 12-2 lead. Uhlorn
led off the inning with a single to left and Alli Holthaus was hit by a
pitch. After an out, Crea was walked to load the bases.
Brooke Holthaus then popped up toward third with the infield fly being
called. She was out but when the third baseman dropped the pop-up, Uhlorn
was able to score from third.
Ashley Schaeffer then hit a triple to deep right center to score both
remaining runners and came around to score as well when the throw to third
got by the fielder.
Kendrick was able to score 2 runs in the top of the fifth, which forced
Prairie to come to bat in the bottom of the inning.
VanderPas, who had tossed a 1-hitter to that point got a little wild,
walking 4 batters in the inning, which along with an error and several
wild pitches allowed Kendrick to score their two runs.
The damage could’ve been worse but for a rare catcher to first to right
to short caught stealing. Ashley Schaeffer’s pickoff throw got past her
sister Kim Schaeffer into right field but Tiffany Schaeffer backed up the
play and threw out the runner at second.
In the bottom of the fifth Prairie needed just 3 batters to get the
2 runs needed to end the game on the 10-run mercy rule.
VanderPas walked to lead off the inning but was forced at second by
Arnzen.
Carolyn Sonnen then pinchhit for Uhlorn and worked a 3-2 count before
slicing a ball over the first baseman’s head down the line. The ball landed
right on the foul line about 20 feet behind first and rolled all the way
to the gate in the corner. Sonnen was halfway to third before the rightfielder
retrieved the ball and threw it back in. She scored easily for a 2-run
game-ending inside-the-park homer.
A defensive play of note for the Pirates earlier in the game ended
the second inning. With a runner on second and one out the Kendrick batter
grounded to shortstop Arnzen who threw the batter out at first. Kim Schaeffer
then gunned the ball back across the diamond to third where Alli Holthaus
tagged the runner coming from second for an inning-ending double play.
VanderPas allowed just 2 hits in the game and struck out 8 batters.
She walked 8 and hit 2 batters.
Prairie had 7 hits by 7 different players. Sonnen had a homer and Ashley
Schaeffer a triple. Tiffany Schaeffer had a double and VanderPas, Crea,
Uhlorn and Brooke Holthaus each had a single.
Kendrick 0 0 1 1 2— 4 2 5
Prairie 1 5 2 4 2—14 7 1
Lady
Pirates fall in championship gameUntimely errors and failure to capitalize on opportunities led to a
loss for the Lady Pirates in the District Championship game 3-4 to Culdesac
Saturday, May 14 at Cottonwood.
The game started well as Meghan VanderPas set the Wolves down in order
in the first inning. Prairie then came to bat in the bottom of the inning
and quickly loaded the bases with nobody out. Ashley Schaeffer walked,
Tiffany Schaeffer was hit by a pitch and VanderPas was walked. After two
outs Alli Holthaus singled up the middle to score Ashley Schaeffer and
Kim Schaeffer walked to bring home Tiffany Schaeffer for a 2-0 Prairie
lead.
Culdesac answered in the top of the second though as the leadoff hitter
reached on an error and stole second. The next hitter singled to left to
put runners on first and third and then stole second. After a strikeout,
a comebacker to the mound scored the first run with VanderPas tossing to
first for the out. A wild pitch then tied the game.
From then on it was missed opportunities for Prairie. They had 2 runners
on with just 1 out in the third and couldn’t score.
They put 3 hits together in the fifth and couldn’t score. Natalie Arnzen
reached on a 1-out infield single and Kylie Uhlorn followed with a single
up the middle. Alli Holthaus followed with a single to left but Arnzen
was called out at the plate.
Culdesac meanwhile took the lead in the fourth inning with a 2-out
rally. After 2 groundouts to third Culdesac got a double and 2 walks to
load the bases. An attempted pickoff try at third got away with the go-ahead
run scoring.
Culdesac padded their lead in the sixth as the leadoff hitter was hit
by a pitch and wild pitched over to third. A walk followed but Natalie
Arnzen turned in a double play. She caught a soft fly at short and doubled
the runner off second. A single to right followed to score the runner from
third for a 2-4 Culdesac lead.
Prairie picked up a run in the seventh as VanderPas tripled over the
head of the centerfielder and scored on Arnzen’s groundout to third. A
strikeout then ended the game.
Prairie had 5 hits in the game, a triple by VanderPas, 2 singles by
Alli Holthaus and a single each by Uhlorn and Arnzen.
VanderPas allowed 6 hits and only 1 earned run while walking 6 and
hitting 1 batter with 3 strikeouts.
Culdesac 0 2 0 1 0 1 0—4 6 0
Prairie 2 0 0 0 0 0 1—3 5 3
Lady
Pirates earn trip to StateThe Prairie Lady Pirates earned a trip to state by beating Kendrick
13-3 in the second place game of the district tournament Saturday, May
14 at Cottonwood.They bounced back from a tough loss to Culdesac in the championship
game with a 5-run first inning and went on to win easily.
Kendrick had pulled off the upset of the tournament the night before
when they eliminated third seeded Lewis County 9-4 on Friday.
Ashley Schaeffer reached on an error to lead off the first and Tiffany
Schaeffer followed with a bunt single. Meghan VanderPas singled up the
middle to score Ashley and Natalie Arnzen blooped a double to left to scored
Tiffany.
VanderPas came home on a wild pitch.
After an out, Alli Holthaus walked and Kim Schaeffer singled to left
to score Arnzen.
Lindsey Crea followed with a single to score Holthaus.
Kendrick got back into the game with 3 runs in the second inning on
a hit batsman, walk, 2 singles and an error.
Prairie pushed the lead back to 4 though with 2 runs in the bottom
of the second.
Ashley Schaeffer was walked leading off the inning and sacrificed to
second by Tiffany Schaeffer. VanderPas then tripled to the right centerfield
gap and came in to score on a wild pitch to make it 7-3.
After the rocky second inning, VanderPas shut out the Tigers the rest
of the way. She got out of a jam in the third third where Kendrick had
runners on second and third with only 1 out by striking out the next two
hitters.
Kendrick had another threat in the fourth when a hitter reached on
an error but a groundout to third and a strikeout ended the inning.
Kendrick also had a runner single in the fifth with one out but she
took off running for second on an infield popup and after catching the
ball, second baseman Brooke Holthaus easily completed the double play by
tossing the ball to Tiffany Schaeffer at first.
Prairie meanwhile added 4 more runs in the third inning.
Crea drew a 1-out walk and Brooke Holthaus followed with a single up
the middle. After a wild pitch advanced both runners, Ashley Schaeffer
singled to left to score Crea. After Ashley stole second, VanderPas hit
a 2-out single to drive home both runners and advanced all the way to third
as Kendrick fumbled away a couple of throws. Arnzen then singled to score
VanderPas.
In the fifth Prairie needed 2 runs to end the game on the 10-run mercy
rule. Brooke Holthaus led off with a single and moved to second on a wild
pitch. Ashley Schaeffer followed with a single to center that scored Holthaus
and went all the way to third on a 2-base error by the centerfielder.
Carolyn Sonnen then pinch-hit for Tiffany Schaeffer and for the second
time in 3 days against Kendrick, got the game-ending RBI. This time all
it took was a single to score Ashley from third.
Prairie had 15 hits in the game led by VanderPas who had a triple and
2 singles. Arnzen had a double and single and Ashley Schaeffer and Brooke
Holthaus each had 2 singles. Tiffany Schaeffer, Sonnen, Kylie Uhlorn, Alli
Holthaus, Kim Schaeffer and Crea each added a single.
VanderPas allowed just 3 hits with 3 walks and 2 hit batters while
striking out 7.
Prairie will take a 15-8 record into the state tournament which takes
place at Lewiston this Friday and Saturday.
Kendrick 0 3 0 0 0— 3 3 3
Prairie 5 2 4 0 2—13 15 2
Lady
Pirates to play at noon FridayThe Prairie softball team will open state play Friday, May 20 at noon
against Wilder.
They will play again right afterwards against Greenleaf Friends at
2 p.m.
They will play Culdesac at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 21.
After the round-robin play is completed the 2 teams with the best records
will play at 4 p.m. for the state championship while the other two teams
will play at 2 p.m. for third place.
All games will be at Lewiston’s Sunset Park.